First game was about learning the ropes, even though I thought I had won on the very last turn. I wasn’t able to win the subsequent games even though I came very close. I thought that might be part of the message, that winning isn’t guaranteed and even if you do, it will be very, very close. But that’s not the case.
You really need to think about geographical differences and limitations and build around them, as well as how to maximize certain cards when they are most useful. Electrification Program has diminishing returns after each region gets it once or twice, and you’ll need to use a combination of other cards to eliminate the last bits of natural gas and heating (red) in some regions. some regions will not be major energy producers and will be more dependent on the surplus produced by other regions. Public Transportation is good in urban regions, but rural ones will benefit much more from Electric Vehicle infrastructure. Some regions are more at risk for high unemployment because of their ties to fossil fuel industries. The game encourages you to see how all the pieces fit together to keep development going smoothly without to many region conflicts.
Very fun, I can now win consistently with a decent amount of time left. Still haven’t done a play through pursuing nuclear fusion tech tho to see if it’s even viable…